Koh Rong is quite possibly that cliched island paradise you've been looking for, boasting pristine white beaches, turquoise water and limited development on most of the island.
For years the island was almost completely undeveloped save for a
diving outfit and a few bungalows, though that's changing, in particular
on the southern patch Koh Touch.
Serviced by the fast boat from Sihanoukville as the fourth stop, Koh
Touch is a sandy guesthouse-packed stretch that has earned Koh Rong a
reputation as a party island. All the beaches aside from Koh Touch
however are undeserving of this label as they're the kind of places
where the lights go out when the sun goes down and the sounds of nature,
rather than music, will lull you to sleep. Despite many a developer
having their beady eyes on the 78-square-kilometre island, the rapid
development of late is mostly limited to basic bungalows and cheap
guesthouses in Koh Touch, so it remains easy to find a quiet refuge
elsewhere on the island.
The island is truly gorgeous. So gorgeous in fact that a
production company has set up a permanent base at Soksan Base Camp
hotel, on Soksan Beach, making the most of the deserted beaches and
exceedingly beautiful waters for filming all sorts of movies and
programmes, including reality TV show Survivor. The swish property
occasionally opens to outside guests in-between production runs.
The island boasts seven bays, all teeming with marine life, making for great snorkelling and diving. The ultra-high end millionaires' hang-out Song Saa Resort
is to the north of the island, but you can save your cash and get the
same paradise views at a fraction of the cost elsewhere. There's enough
to keep even the most active visitor busy, with diving, snorkelling,
mountain biking, trekking, kayaks and motorbike treks, and plenty of
sand, sun and sea for those with more relaxed tastes.
Koh Rong has 43 kilometres of beaches, but the majority of bars and accommodation
is on the southeast, by Koh Touch village. There's barely a patch along
the bright white sand without a bungalow being constructed. Here music
blares out till the early hours where sleeping in the tightly packed
accommodation close to the pier is usually a wasted effort -- the main
generator turns off at 02:30 but that doesn't stop one bar, Mango, which
has its own so it can pump on till 05:30.
There's a couple of basic minimarts, laundry services and a choice of eating, but no ATMs or internet cafes
-- though a scattering of properties now offer free WiFi. The clientele
closest to the village are mostly backpackers and divers who have come
to enjoy the nightlife, with expats and couples preferring more
seclusion further along the beach at quieter, more spread out
accommodation.
The next largest cluster of accommodation is on Sok San,
a sleepy village that's a world away from Koh Touch with regular direct
slow boats from Sihanoukville and a fast boat primarily serving the
production company based there, with an irregular schedule accordingly.
Family-run over-water stilted bungalows and basic beach huts are the
order of the day here, with multiple new bungalows springing up during
our October 2014 visit.
Soksan Base Camp
is based at the end of the village with a whopping 90 new bungalows --
adding to the existing 54 -- being constructed at the end of 2014. This
is to accommodate more production crew and to be able to open it up more
to tourists -- currently there are only very narrow windows during
filming breaks when they accept bookings online, usually in low season.
With 24-hour power, high-speed internet and air-con, prices are steep
for these smart wooden bungalows but there's nowhere else that really
competes.
A handful of other one-off resorts are set around the island at the northeast
and southwest and these arrange their own slow boats from
Sihanoukville; it's a two-three hour journey that's absolutely worth it
if you're looking for real peace and isolation.
The Cambodian government has sold Koh Rong to an investment group based in Cambodia,
which has plans to build an airport and "ecological" resort. There's
currently little sign of development though apart from a rough and ready
road which connects some parts of the island, and the WiFi and mobile
phone signals which now service most of the accommodation. If you must
make that call, Hello Axiata and Metfone seem to get the strongest signals, particularly on Koh Touch beach.
The interior of the island is largely undeveloped and travelling between
beaches requires trekking or a boat; the latter is relatively
expensive. One of the most beautiful beaches, north of Koh Touch, is
known as Long Set beach, after the farmer who lives
there growing cashews, coconuts and mangoes. Thanks to the views, it's
thought it will be the first one to be developed. Around the point to
the west of Koh Touch, the white coral sand bay known as Seven-Kilometre beach, with Sok San village at one end, is also a potential development site.
So far the development group has left the bungalows alone and they appear safe for the time being. The operations pay rent and have signed agreements saying they will leave whenever they are ordered to.
So if you want to take advantage of Koh Rong's perfect beaches, diving, snorkelling and phosphorescent night swimming (subject to availability), go now.
So if you want to take advantage of Koh Rong's perfect beaches, diving, snorkelling and phosphorescent night swimming (subject to availability), go now.
Orientation
Rooms are highly sought after in high season, and it's better to book before you go, or arrive on the early ferry to catch rooms at Koh Touch beach. Be aware that the island does not have mains electricity and resorts rely on generators for power -- you'll get the most power supply at Koh Touch including at night, though not 24/7. Water is also a precious commodity, and most bathrooms employ an economical bucket flush system.
Rooms are highly sought after in high season, and it's better to book before you go, or arrive on the early ferry to catch rooms at Koh Touch beach. Be aware that the island does not have mains electricity and resorts rely on generators for power -- you'll get the most power supply at Koh Touch including at night, though not 24/7. Water is also a precious commodity, and most bathrooms employ an economical bucket flush system.
One of the problems of deserted beaches is that undisturbed sand can be the perfect habitat for sand flies.
These small black flies like to bite, and leave itchy red marks that
can irritate for days. The best approach is prevention so bring along
some good strong repellant with DEET and apply it first thing in the
morning as well as after the sun goes down.
While you're enjoying the turquoise waters, don't forget to look for sea urchins or sea eggs
underfoot. The spines are painful if they embed in your sole and won't
pull out easily. However, the discomfort will wear off in a couple of
days and these particular creatures are not dangerous.